


Slayers, The

by Grundy



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Gen, Post-Chosen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22620250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grundy/pseuds/Grundy
Summary: Faith's not sure how she fits into this new world. It's not just her and Buffy anymore.
Relationships: Faith Lehane & Buffy Summers
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	Slayers, The

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Seika](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seika/gifts).



Faith froze when she heard the near silent footsteps.

“You’re not running out on me, are you?”

She turned with a sigh. She’d really been hoping to get gone before anyone noticed. Slip away having done her bit to save the day, and leave having done the right thing for a change, rather than stick around long enough to screw up again and see the disappointment (or 'I knew it!') in everyone's eyes. Especially B's.

“Just trying to make things easier,” she explained.

Also trying to get away without having to have the conversation about what a screwup she was with someone she’d always wanted respect from, but she couldn’t exactly say that. (Ok, and maybe more than respect. She really hated that the First had been right about that.)

“Easier?” Buffy scoffed. “I’m tempted to cover up one eye and steal Xander’s line, because I’m not seeing how you disappearing in the dead of night makes things easier on anyone.”

Faith really would rather not have to explain it – surely B hadn’t missed what a disaster she’d been?

“Come on, Faith. There’s a ton of people in there who would miss you. Robin Wood, for a start – even aside from the part where you two seem like you’re good for each other, running out on the guy the day he gets out of the hospital is a little harsh, don’t you think? Then there’s all the…”

“Minis?” Faith suggested wryly after letting B flail around for the right word for a bit.

“I was thinking baby Slayers, but minis works,” Buffy sighed. “They look up to you. What am I supposed to tell them?”

“Tell them they’re better off without me,” Faith snapped. “In case you really hadn’t noticed, following my lead got a bunch of them killed. If you need me to spell it out, there, I said it – I fucked up!”

Story of her life, really, but what else was new?

“News flash, Little Miss Woe Is Me – people died with me in charge, too.”

Faith blinked. That wasn’t what she’d expected B to come back with, let alone in the quiet voice that told her it still stung the other Slayer just as much.

“That’s apparently how this ‘being a leader’ thing works, or so Giles tells me,” Buffy continued. “You don’t just get the credit for the good, you have to deal with the bad, too. And you don’t get all one and none of the other, no matter how good you are. You already know ‘we can’t save everyone’, so add ‘not everything we decide is going to work out like we thought’.”

“Words of wisdom from the Watchers?” Faith snorted. “Not sure I’m down with their idea of smarts.”

“Yeah, that’s two of us, but that part makes unfortunate sense,” Buffy sighed.

“I still don’t think I’m cut out for this,” Faith replied. “Be honest, B – wouldn’t things be easier for you if I weren’t here complicating things? What happens when we clash? The kids pick sides? Make Angel mediate? It’s a recipe for badness.”

“Angel mediating might not be a terrible idea,” Buffy replied thoughtfully.

“Are you kidding? It’s absolutely a terrible idea. Besides, little D would probably save him the trouble and just kill me in my sleep first.”

“You’re assuming she’d take my side,” Buffy laughed. “When really, it’s more like 50-50. Or maybe one in three? She could always tell both of us we’re full of it.”

“I’m a bad influence,” Faith pointed out. “On D and for the minis.”

“You’re really not,” Buffy sighed. “I thought we were past all this.”

Faith didn’t say anything, but gave B her best ‘are you fucking kidding me?’ look.

“If you won’t stick around for them,” Buffy continued, “how about doing it as a favor for me? Because I could sure as hell use someone else around who _knows_.”

“Knows what? B, I don’t know much of anything.”

“You’re the only other one around here who knows what it’s like to be the one girl in all the world,” Buffy replied quietly. “Willow made all those girls Slayers. But it’s different for them. They got a heads-up. The ones that were here knew what was coming in advance. The ones that weren’t still had a choice. You and me – it wasn’t anything like that. Just woke up one day and bam! Slayer. Congratulations, try not to die.”

“I’m ok being your co-Slayer or whatever,” Faith said slowly. “But I don’t know how to be what those girls need.”

“That makes two of us. But Dawn told me something, and she’s probably right. She said if we can’t do anything else, we can show them they can do this.”

Faith laughed.

“Yeah, I’ve done a bang-up job of being the Slayer. And you got stab-happy with me that one time.”

“I agree, we’re not exactly setting the bar high. But think about this, Faith – we’re also the only ones who can help them get the support they need, not just whatever the Council thinks they should have.”

“The Council shouldn’t have a say in it at all,” Faith growled. “If we’d followed their lead, everyone would be dead. Fucking useless. Ok, with maybe a couple exceptions. But most of them ought to be tossed out on their asses. What help have they been?”

“Yes, so you can see where having two of us saying it’s our way now, not theirs, would be more effective than one…”

Buffy left the though hanging.

“Dammit, B.”

“Does that mean you’re staying?” Buffy asked brightly

“Yeah, all right, I’m sticking around. Out of curiosity, what were you going to do if I said no?”

“Go find Angel to have him chase you down and do his Yoda thing,” Buffy shrugged. “Figured he’d get through to you if I couldn’t.”

“Yoda thing? You better not let Andrew hear you say that.”

Buffy laughed.

“Who do you think called it that in the first place?”

She didn’t shrug off the arm Buffy draped around her shoulder to guide her back into the Hyperion.


End file.
